Microsciurus flaviventer (Gray, 1867)

PATTON, JAMES L., DA SILVA, MARIA NAZARETH F. & MALCOLM, JAY R., 2000, Mammals Of The Rio Juruá And The Evolutionary And Ecological Diversification Of Amazonia, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (244), pp. 1-306 : 89-90

Microsciurus flaviventer (Gray, 1867)

Amazon dwarf squirrel

TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘Brazil’’; restricted to Pebas, Departamento de Loreto, Perú by Cabrera (1961), based on Thomas (1928) .

DESCRIPTION: This is a very small squirrel averaging nearly 275 mm in body length with a long, relatively slender but well­furred tail slightly less than half of the total length of the animal. It matches the dorsal and ventral colors of S. ignitus almost exactly, being a grizzled olivaceous brown above and yellowish­orange below. There is a very small yellowish postauricular patch; the ears are

short and do not protrude above the head. The tail hairs are frosted with pale yellow, as opposed to burnt orange as in S. ignitus . Table 20 lists external and cranial measurements for specimens from the Rio Jurua´.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT: The range of the Amazon dwarf squirrel extends throughout western Amazonia from southeastern Colombia to southern Perú east to near the confluence of the Rio Negro, Rio Purus, and Rio Solimões (Emmons and Feer, 1997; Patterson, 1992). As with the other squirrels, specimens of M. flaviventer were taken, or others seen, only in terra firme forest along the Rio Jurua´.

REPRODUCTION: All four specimens obtained were adult males with scrotal testes, two each collected in October (dry season) and February (wet season).

SPECIMENS EXAMINED (n = 4): (a) 1m — MNFS 1029; (b) 1m — MNFS 1051; (12) 2m — JLP 15792, MNFS 684.